Lauren's Story
Lauren Ash is a wellness visionary, yoga and meditation guide, engaging speaker and creative writer, and founder and executive director of the culture-shifting lifestyle brand synonymous with black women’s wellness—Black Girl In Om.
lauren ASH's story
Lauren Ash is a visionary, spiritual teacher, engaging speaker and writer, and founder and CEO of the culture-shifting lifestyle brand synonymous with black women’s wellbeing—Black Girl In Om.
Lauren Ash has clarity about her purpose — she’s here to expand the consciousness of black women and women of color. Since founding Black Girl In Om in 2014, her vision has led to the creation of transformational experiences and content that radically centers and authentically speaks to a historically and consistently marginalized global community. From hosting the Black Girl In Om podcast — which has reached more than two million listeners within its four season run — to touring the globe guiding meditations, yoga, and transformational conversations for thousands of black women and women of color, Lauren’s contributions to the world ultimately reflect what she once needed and didn’t see.
Lauren has repeatedly been recognized as a trailblazer in the contemporary wellness movement. She has been affirmed for “fostering a community of healing” by The New York Times. She has been named “a master practitioner of #blackgirlmagic” and “a leading voice in the healthy-living world” by Well+Good. Shape has declared her “one of the most important voices in the wellness industry.” And in 2019, she was one of ESSENCE’s Woke 100 and one of Wanderlust’s “35 under 35 in Wellness to Watch.”
As a meditation and yoga teacher, Lauren centers compassionate presence, unconditional love, and intention. She is trained in Vedic Meditation with Ellie Burrows, and has received her 200-hour certificate for Vinyasa Yoga with Koya Webb, and Power Yoga with Ryan Loren. She has guided meditation experiences with The Big Quiet, Nike, Heal Haus, Free People, Grace Hopper Festival, Wanderlust and Black Women Talk Tech. Lauren created a 30-day Mindful Meditation Challenge for Refinery 29, shared her guidance for meditating with Oprah Magazine, and produces ongoing audio meditations and digital meditation experiences for her global community.
A natural storyteller, Lauren’s insights, wisdom and wellness expertise has functioned as a source of inspiration to many, and she is currently working on her first book. Past speaking engagements have included the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, California African American Museum, Squarespace, SXSW, Lululemon’s Here to Be, Girlboss Rally, American University, and the University of Missouri. Lauren’s tremendous impact has garnered her partnerships with notable brands including Adidas, American Express, Bon Appetit, Glossier, Nike, OWN, Target, Samsung and SXSW.
A selected list of wellness and lifestyle brands Lauren has contributed to include CRWN, Girlboss, Glamour, mindbodygreen, Teen Vogue, Thoughtfully Magazine, and Well+Good. Past features include mindbodygreen, ELLE South Africa, ESSENCE, Forbes, Marie Claire, Saint Heron, and Yahoo Beauty.
“Minimal and understated in aesthetic, [her] uplifting captions and refreshing musings on her blog reach beyond buzzwords; bringing substance and actionable advice to conversations around self-care, sisterhood and mental health while displaying wisdom beyond her twenty-something years.”
“Lauren has cracked the code on cultivating a coveted multi-platform brand that continues to build momentum in the $3.7 trillion wellness market. When she speaks, there’s a clear impression that she has a firm grasp on her personal strengths. But, what’s most interesting is how Lauren continues to invest in her own growth and well-being as an essential part of her entrepreneurship journey. Her singular focus is on being a better entrepreneur from within”
“2017 was scary, and it became abundantly clear that Black women need to take of themselves, and each other. While we as a community have notoriously been not great at making our mental, physical and spiritual health a priority, this year things changed … Lauren uses her platform to uplift and bring together Black women so they can live their best lives.”
“It’s no secret that the wellness world is overwhelmingly white. Thankfully, Lauren Ash is changing that”
“Ash is a master practitioner of #blackgirlmagic—creating spaces that didn’t exist before, where women of color are drawn to come together to share self-care, beauty, and health intel, and most importantly, to inspire each other.”
“Grounded, poised and overflowing with wisdom; she’s quite deliberately manifested her life’s work - and she wouldn’t think of shrinking from the fact of her influence.”